The present invention relates to sausage encasing machines and, more specifically, to a method and means for stuffing natural casings with food products.
Sausages have been traditionally made by filling the natural intestines of sheep or other animals, with a sausage product whereupon the filled natural casing was formed into links for cooking. In more modern times, sausages are predominantly made by introducing an emulsion into an artificial casing, which encases the sausage material through linking and preliminary cooking. Machines for making sausages with artificial casings have a high volume capability (up to 30,000 sausages per hour). Efforts have been made to use these high-speed machines with natural casings. However, because of the nature of the natural casings including their relatively shorter and variable length and non-uniform diameter, modern sausage encasing machines have not achieved the volume and capacity with natural casings as they do with artificial casings.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,585,580 and 6,659,853, both to Hergott et al., disclose sausage making machines whereby a follower slidably advances the natural casing towards a twisting mechanism. A sensor adjacent the twisting mechanism controls the operation of the follower to reduce tearing of the natural casing upon entering the twisting mechanism.
One disadvantage of conventional sausage making machines, such as those disclosed by the '580 and '853 patents, is that as the follower moves toward the twisting mechanism the casing becomes inverted which increases the potential for tearing. In addition, because of the shape of the follower, the casing, at the end of the follower, tends to be more bulky than necessary which leads to waste.
In addition, when the casing is bunched, a portion extends into the chuck and a bulky section forms which is withdrawn from the stuffing tube before being filled which also leads to waste. Natural casing is expensive so even a small amount of waste reduces profitability.
Another disadvantage of conventional sausage making machines is that the optical sensor used to detect the thickness of the casing often becomes covered by residual portions of casing falling from the stuffing tube overhead, thereby rendering the sensor ineffective. The sensor then must be manually cleaned, which increases production time. Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved sausage making machine.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a sausage making machine that minimizes the amount of natural casing wasted during production.
A further object of this invention is to provide a sausage making machine having an improved follower and twisting mechanism that reduces the amount of tearing.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide a sausage making machine having a sensor that resists blockage from residual casing material.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.